Hellbent
by Ai Kemi
Summary: Misunderstanding and mistrust lands a furious Kitty Pryde in Bayville. She decides that if the people she loves the most don’t trust her, they might as well have a real reason. And she soon realizes, she knows just the person to help her. Will eventuall
1. Prologue

TITLE: Hellbent

AUTHOR: Ai Kemi

E-MAIL: zelgadis13@hotmail.com

RATING: R. *grumbles* Because The Pit of Voles says so.

SUMMARY: Misunderstanding and mistrust lands a furious Kitty Pryde in Bayville. She decides that if the people she loves the most don't trust her, they might as well have a real reason. And she soon realizes, she knows just the person to help her.

PAIRING: Lance/Kitty

CATEGORY: AU, breaks from canon during the episode "X-Impulse." Basically, the whole Lance-wrecking-the-school-thing never happened.

SPOILERS: Pretty much just "X-Impulse" and general series stuff. Purely season one.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. You sue, you get nothing but about $20,000 in loans and bills. Debt is an asset, y'know.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Y'see, this is what happens when there is a distinct lack of Bad!Kitty fic (and Lance/Kitty fic, for that matter) out there. I'm forced to think something up on my own and y'all have to suffer through it. *evil grin* Plus, I'm indulging in a bit of Jean-hating in this fic. Just to give y'all a fair warning.

AUTHOR'S NOTE Pt. 2: Yes there will be sex. But nothing that you couldn't get away with in a rated R movie. Or, say, Showtime after midnight. >_ 

Prologue

Lance watched as the girl – what was her name? Oh, yeah. _Kitty_. – approached him. He barely managed to turn his smirk into a friendly smile. Man, she was making this _way_ too easy.

"So how do you take control?"

He looked down into her earnest little face with those wide innocent eyes and almost felt bad about deceiving her. Almost. "By admitting something no one wants to cop to: that we are outsiders, that there is something wrong with us." One look at her face told him she didn't like what she was hearing.

He decided to switch gears.

"Hey, don't fret it. Embrace it. The way I see it, Fate dealt us winning cards…if we play 'em together." Or rather, Lance mused, Fate had dealt him a winning card. And he intended to play her for all she was worth. Who knew? If this worked out, he might actually keep her around. She _was_ cute, in a girl-next-door kind of way.

He grinned.

Kitty shifted and looked down at her feet. "Nothing's making any sense."

Taking the opening provided, Lance slung an arm around Kitty's slight shoulders. "That's why I'm here to light your path. And the first step leads us right into that office." He pointed at an ordinary-looking door.

Kitty blinked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm betting," Lance began, "that every time you've done your walking through walls bit—"

"Shh!" Kitty shushed him frantically and swiveled her head this way and that, making sure there was no one within earshot. "Not so loud!"

Lance smiled. "Kitty, the last bell's already rung. Everybody's blown this pop stand. It's just us."

She gave a tense little laugh. "Sorry to, like, spaz out like that. I'm still totally freaked by this whole—" she waved her hands aimlessly "—_thing_."

"If you let it scare you, it has the control." Lance placed his hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Every time your power has kicked in you've been scared or upset, right?"

She shrugged and focused on her feet once more. "I guess."

"Then it's a pretty sure thing that if you don't learn to control it, – and soon – it'll kick in at the absolute worst time, and you'll be royally screwed. Trust me, I know from experience."

"That's, like, _so_ totally not reassuring."

"It wasn't meant to be," Lance snapped. Then, gentling his voice, "You've got to learn to control it, Kitty."

He almost had to strain to hear her next words.

"I don't think I can."

Be all supportive, Alvers. Chicks dig that crap. "I _know_ you can. Besides, practice makes perfect, right?"

And sure enough, that did the trick.

At his words, she looked up and her trusting eyes met his. 

That's weird. When he'd first met her that morning, he could have sworn her eyes were a warm grey color. But now, in the dim light of the hallway, they seemed a deep shade of blue. 

"What are you, like, staring at?" Kitty asked nervously.

"Just trying to decide what color your eyes are," Lance answered without thinking. He blinked. Where the _hell_ had that come from? _Focus on the test answers, you idiot!_ He cleared his throat. "Nevermind. Let's test your powers out. Try walking through that door."

Kitty gave him one last searching look before approaching the office door. Lance watched as she took a deep breath, scrunched up her nose in concentration—

—and walked right through the very solid, very locked door. He ran a hand over the spot Kitty had just disappeared through. Lance had to admit he was damn impressed.

A moment later, the door swung open. Kitty beamed up at him. "Did you see me? Did you?" She was positively glowing with excitement.

Lance couldn't help but smile in return. "Yeah. Wow, Kitty, how did it feel?"

If it was possible, her smile seemed to widen. "It was, like, totally unbelievable!"

He was completely unprepared when she suddenly hugged him. He awkwardly returned the gesture. "You're making it yours, Kitty. Once you own it, nothing can own you."

Kitty leaned back in his arms, her expression turning serious. "I really want to, like, thank you, Lance. I totally could never have done it without—"

"Kathryn Tamara Pryde!"

Kitty leapt out of his arms like she'd been hit with a jolt of electricity.

Shit! He'd been _thisclose_ to getting those test answers! Lance turned to face the person who'd ruined his chance. "Who the hell are you?"

"Daddy?"

Lance spun to stare at Kitty. "_Daddy?_"

He was ignored.

"What are you, like, doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, young lady. When Miss Grey told us you had broken into this office to steal test papers, your mother and I couldn't believe it. Not our little girl. But now…"

Kitty was confused. "Test papers? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Kitty! How could you? And to impress some boy?"

"_Mom?_"

Two people had joined Kitty's father in the doorway. One was obviously her mother, and the other…Lance immediately recognized the redhead.

Apparently so did Kitty. "You?! I thought you were trying to help me?"

The redhead stepped forward. "I am trying to help you, Kitty. By preventing you from making a big mistake."

****

End Prologue.


	2. Chapter 1: Small World

Disclaimer, etc. in Prologue.

Chapter 1

Kitty stood in the middle of the cafeteria and wondered where she was going to sit. All the tables in the immediate vicinity were packed with groups of gossiping friends that had probably known each other since kindergarten. Kitty, on the other hand, was still the 'new girl' and therefore was eating lunch alone. Again.

She had eaten lunch by herself everyday since she had arrived at Bayville High three weeks ago. Not that she wasn't used to eating lunch solo. She'd hardly been Madame Social Butterfly at her old school, but at least at her old school she'd known people.

Looking out over the sea of unfamiliar faces in the cafeteria, Kitty's appetite started to wan. For the first time since she'd arrived, she began to consider sitting with the other Xavier kids. They weren't all that bad. She actually liked a couple of them. But if she did sit with them, there was a good chance she'd have to sit with _her_. 

The mere thought of sitting with that redheaded skank made Kitty grimace in distaste.

Just then, someone stalked past her, bumping her hard. She just barely managed not to redecorate the floor with her lunch. She didn't get so much as an apology.

Still trying to steady her tray, Kitty snapped, "Why don't you watch where you're going, jerk?"

The jerk in question spun around as he sneered, "Why don't you suck my—" He broke off abruptly. Then, "Kitty?"

At the sound of her name, Kitty forgot about trying to stop her apple from rolling off her tray. She knew that voice.

She looked up. And blinked. "Oh, my God! Lance?"

He grinned. "Damn. Guess those Disney brats were right. It is a small world after all."

Kitty stared, not sure if she wanted to smack him or hug him. "What—how—?"

"Likewise." Dumping a lumpy brown paper bag on her tray, he snatched it out of her hands. "Come on. We'll catch up over lunch, share our life stories. Hell, we'll have a regular Oprah moment." Without waiting for her consent, he headed off into the crowded cafeteria.

Kitty stood there for moment, simply amazed at his audacity. First, he'd nearly knocked her down without bothering to apologize, and then he went and stole her lunch! He was such a jerk!

But still…She _was_ glad to see a familiar face.

"Hey, Lance! Wait up!" Kitty called as she hurried to catch up.

****

End Chapter 1.


	3. Chapter 2: Deal with the Devil

Disclaimer, etc. in Prologue.

Chapter 2

"So you're saying your parents shipped you here to Bayville, to some school for kids like us?" Lanced asked after taking a drink from his can of soda. His bagged lunch long gone, he nursed his Coke and watched Kitty pick at her food.

"Yeah."

He was seated across from her at one of the smaller tables in the courtyard. The cafeteria had been crowded and noisy as usual, and they hadn't found anywhere to sit inside so they'd decided to venture outside to try their luck. Amazingly, they'd found an empty table on the far side of the quad.

They'd started eating, and then they'd started talking. It hadn't taken long for the conversation to turn to how they'd both ended up in New York, and both at Bayville High no less.

Lance had explained that a couple of weeks after Kitty left Northbrook, he'd ended up getting into some serious trouble. He didn't elaborate on what kind of trouble and she didn't ask. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

He'd continued on to say that he'd been kicked out of his most recent foster home, and his caseworker had been having trouble finding anyone that would even consider taking him. He'd been on the verge of being sent to a group home for boys, when an administrator from the Bayville school district had shown up. She'd explained that there was a program in Bayville specially geared towards kids with his "particular problem."

Lance had smirked at that point. "A nice, polite way of saying I was a freak. They were all over it, though. The only time in my life I've seen social services move that fast." Special arrangements had been made, and he'd been shipped to New York before the week had been out. He'd just been officially enrolled at Bayville High the day before. "Far as I'm concerned, coming here's been the best thing that's happened to me since—well, ever."

Kitty wished she could say the same.

She poked at her macaroni and cheese with her fork. "My parents…They said it was because they wanted me to learn how to control my powers." She gave a humorless little laugh. "They also said I, like, need to learn some self-restraint."

Lance snorted. "Self-restraint? You're a regular girl scout as it is."

"That's not what they think." Kitty glared down at the orange mush on her plate. "Not after Jean Grey got finished talking to them."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember that day you used me to get into that office to steal those test papers?"

Lance froze, then said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Oh, puh-_leeze_! I'm not a total idiot, you know. You didn't think I wouldn't eventually figure it out? But anyway, I'm not mad at you."

He blinked in surprise. "You're not?"

"No. You're not the one who got me into trouble. Heck, you totally would have gotten away with it." Kitty stabbed viciously at her food. "It's all that witch's fault!"

"The redhead?"

"She's the one that convinced my parents that I was the one after the test papers! She's the one that convinced them to send me away!" Kitty threw down her fork and shoved her tray away, her rising anger burning away what little appetite she had. "She told them I'd be better off at Xavier's. She said they'd teach me control, teach me _self restraint_ so that there wasn't another _incident_." She snorted. "God, what a crock!"

"Man, that sucks." Lance was silent a moment before adding, "I'm, uh…I mean…Sorry. For, you know, messing up your life." He stumbled over the words, like he hadn't had much practice in apologizing to anyone, for anything.

"I already told you, it's not your fault. It's Jean's. Miss I-know-what's-best-for-you." Kitty sighed and rested her chin on her palm, her anger already fading. Usually, her Jean-hating was followed up by a bout of melancholy, and this time was no exception. "I just, like, can't believe my parents took her word over mine. I mean, I'm their _daughter_! It's like, now that I'm different, they think I'm not the same person. _But I am_!" She looked at Lance, her eyes moist. "Shouldn't they trust _me_ instead of some total stranger?"

He shook his head. "You're asking the wrong person. All my life I've had folks think the worst of me. Foster home after foster home, anything bad happened, I got the blame."

For a moment, a flare of outrage overshadowed Kitty's own misery. "Didn't that, like, bother you?" 

"At first. But then I figured, if I'm gonna be treated like I'm nothing but trouble, I might as well act the part." He shrugged, completely unrepentant. "At least now when they say 'He got what he deserved,' it'll probably be true. "

"But that's totally not fair!"

Another careless shrug. "Don't bother me none." Lance smirked. "You see, I found out I'm actually very good at being bad."

Kitty stared at him, uncertain what to say. Lance really didn't appear to mind how the people who were supposed to care for him had instead treated him like a criminal. Their situations were similar in an odd way, yet Kitty felt the hurt of her parents' betrayal deeply. She wished she could be as unconcerned about her situation as Lance was about his. She wished she could—

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as something occurred to her. Something so completely insane and reckless, it just had to be worth trying. The idea was all kinds of bad. 

That just made her want to do it even more. 

Kitty looked at Lance. And smiled.

He blinked. "What?"

"You just gave me the most stellar idea."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

His apathetic response made Kitty's smile slip a bit. "Um, what would you say if I, like, asked you for a favor?"

Lance stared at her for a moment before finishing off his soda and absently tossing the can in the general direction of a trash bin. There was a _thunk!_ as it hit someone in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Shake it off, you wuss." Lance turned his attention back to Kitty, who looked rather expectant. "A favor, huh?"

"Yeah." A hopeful note crept into her voice.

"No."

Kitty's face fell. _Like a geezer with a bad hip_, Lance mused. "What do you mean 'no'? You don't even know what I was going to ask you!"

"Doesn't matter. Y'see, I don't _do_ favors. I do deals."

"Deals?"

"Yeah. Like that stupid game show, we make a deal. If I decide to do something for you…" He leaned in close, as if sharing a secret. "…then _you_ gotta do something for me in return."

Immediately, alarms went off in Kitty's head. "S-something? Like what?"

Smirking at her unease, Lance shrugged. "I don't know just yet, but I'm sure we'll figure something out." His smirk kicked up a notch and bordered on a leer. "So what was that you were saying about a favor?"

Kitty took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Well, she really did need his help. There wasn't anyone else she could really ask for help. "Okay."

"'Okay' what?"

"Okay, let's, like, make a deal. You do a favor for me and…" Her nose wrinkled slightly in confusion. "How can we make a deal when you don't even know what you get in exchange? How do you know that I won't, like, back out?"

There was a strange gleam in Lance's dark eyes as he answered, "Oh, I'm sure you'll hold up your end of the deal."

Kitty's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're not going to try to get me to steal anything are you?"

"I dunno. Like I said, I haven't exactly made up my mind." Lance shrugged. "And it wouldn't matter if that's what I wanted. It's not like you'd really have a choice…if you go through with this deal." He gave her long look, and Kitty barely managed not to squirm under the scrutiny. "Are you prepared to go through with it? No matter what I ask for in return?"

She returned his gaze. Actually, it was more like she was trapped by it. _Like a mouse facing a cobra._ Kitty shuddered at the thought, then steadied herself. With a newfound resolve, she nodded. "I'm ready to deal." She grinned ruefully. "Besides, whatever you, like, want me to do in return will probably tie into what I want from you in the first place."

Lance arched one dark brow. "Oh, really? Just what kind of favor do you want from me?"

Blushing, Kitty looked away. "Well…It's, like…I want you to teach me how to be…bad." _God, that sounded lame!_ Biting her lower lip, she risked a look at Lance to gauge his reaction.

At first he looked surprised, as if that were the absolute last thing he had expected her to say. And it probably was. Then slowly, his expression began to change. In excruciating degrees, a wicked smile spread across his face. Kitty felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.

That smile made her think about a T-shirt she had seen once. It had read: _First rule for dealing with the Devil: Don't._ She had the feeling she was definitely dealing with the Devil—or at least one of His favored minions. Too bad she had no intention of heeding the advice. Raising hell was exactly what she had in mind.

"This is just too _sweet_!" Lance was grinning at her now. "So Miss Kitty wants to get herself some claws, huh? Well, you definitely came to the right person. Any particular reason why you wanna go all Evil Twin?"

She tried for nonchalant. "Well, like, my parents sent me here to learn self-restraint. I'm going to show them just how _un_restrained I can be." She frowned, remembering her treatment at the hands of Amy and her friends. "And my old personality just got me stepped on back in Northbrook. I'm _not_ going to let that happen here."

"Hmm, trying to piss off the 'rents. I'd say you're on the right—or rather, _wrong_—path already."

"So we, like, have a deal, right?"

"Hell, yeah." Lance held out his hand. "All we gotta do is seal it."

Reaching for his hand, Kitty smiled.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her almost halfway across the table.

Kitty gasped. "What are you doing?"

Lance smirked as he leaned forward, his face, his nose, his lips barely an inch from hers. "Sealing the deal." 

She only just realized what he was about to do, when he quickly closed the distance between them and kissed her.

****

End Chapter 2.


	4. Chapter 3: Hellbent

Disclaimer, etc. in Prologue.

Chapter 3

As his lips found Kitty's, Lance felt a warm little shiver skitter down his spine even as she stiffened in shock. Kitty Pryde—sweet and innocent Kitty Pryde—wanted him to teach her how to be "bad".

And she, poor thing, had absolutely no idea what he had in store for her. Well, he was more than willing to give her a sneak preview.

Lance slid a hand behind Kitty's neck and angled her head so that he could deepen the kiss. His tongue slid over the seam of her lips once, twice, three-times before he nipped at her lower lip. Her surprised gasp provided the opening he needed. In the next instant, Lance had slipped his tongue inside her warm, unsuspecting mouth. He couldn't quite hold back his groan.

God, she tastes… Unable to define her flavor, Lance slid his tongue against hers, probing deeper into the humid recesses of her mouth. _She tastes like_…

Kitty made a small sound in the back of her throat. Whether it was in protest or pleasure, he didn't know. Nor did he really care at the moment.

He got his answer however, when he felt her free hand skim a hesitant path up his arm before coming to rest at his nape, her fingers weaving themselves through his hair. Her slick tongue moved shyly against his, then retreated, then repeated the motion. This time, she grew bolder, curling and sliding her tongue against his in an arousing little duel that left Lance burning and a little light-headed.

Vaguely, he remembered that they both needed to breathe.

Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away. Kitty made a low sound—definitely one of protest—and her hand tightened briefly at his nape. Looking down at her flushed cheeks, her blue-grey eyes cloudy, her breath coming in small rapid puffs, Lance had to restrain himself from taking her mouth again.

He stared at the mouth in question—all rosy and moist from the thorough kissing—and couldn't help but lick his own lips, trying to recapture her elusive flavor_. She tastes like_…_She tastes like pure_—

And suddenly he had it. _Pure._ She tasted like purity, like innocence. Like _virgin_.

For some reason, the thought did absolutely nothing to help lower Lance's already racing heartbeat. Instead, it made his blood hum with an almost savage anticipation.

A lazy half-smile spread across his face.

"Well, damn," he murmured. "I have the feeling this is gonna be a _very_ satisfying deal."

"Huh?" Kitty blinked, slowly coming to her senses. Her eyes suddenly cleared, the unrealized hunger quickly replaced by embarrassment. She jerked out of his grasp and scrambled back to her seat, a hand pressed to her mouth. 

She stared at him with wide eyes, her cheeks burning. "_Ohmigod!_ Did you—did I just—did we just—_in public_?" Horrified, she cast furtive glances around the courtyard.

Lance grinned at her discomfort. "Don't worry. I don't think too many people noticed our little kiss."

Kitty snorted in disbelief and muttered, "Wasn't anything 'little' about it."

He blinked then let out a startled laugh. "Y'know, I could say something, but I'm too much of a gentleman."

It took her a moment to grasp just what kind of comment he was talking about, but when she did realize what he was implying, her whole face practically turned red. Stammering, she clumsily got to her feet. "Ah…Well, I gotta, uh, get, like, to class…or something."

She groped for her bookbag, managing to knock it to the ground in her nervousness.

Lance was thoroughly enjoying her agitation. _Man, she's this worked up and I didn't even_ say _anything! This is gonna be _a lot_ of fun._ "Hey, what's your hurry? The bell hasn't even rung—"

Just then, the bell signaling the end of sixth period rang, cutting off Lance mid-sentence.

Lance just rolled his eyes as if to say 'typical'.

Feeling as if she'd just managed to escape an extremely dangerous situation, Kitty scooped up her fallen bookbag and swung it over her shoulder. "Well, uh, I guess I'll, like, see you later." She started to turn away.

"Y'know, you don't _have_ to go to class."

She turned back to look at him. "You mean, like, cut class?"

Lance was still sitting at the table. Actually, _lounging_ was more like it. Obviously, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Yeah, I mean, like, cut class."

Kitty frowned at his slightly mocking tone. "I don't know, Lance…"

He smirked. "Consider it your first lesson in being bad. Unless…you've changed your mind?" God, he hoped not. For her sake, and for his. He knew exactly what he wanted from Kitty Pryde, and he was hellbent on getting it.

She didn't know why she smiled. It might have had something to do with that flicker of unease she'd seen cross his face. But she might have just imagined it. Shaking her head, Kitty reassured him. "No, I haven't changed my mind. I just need to…prepare."

"'Prepare', huh? Okay. Alright. You go 'prepare'." Lance got to his feet and strolled over to her until he was standing barely a foot away from her. He tilted her chin up so that she had to look at him. "Tomorrow, be ready for your first lesson."

"I-I will. Be ready, that is."

He smiled. "Good. I'll find you tomorrow." 

And once again, he caught her off guard. His head ducked down and he dropped a quick, hard kiss on her unsuspecting mouth. Before she could even react, he was gone, swallowed up by the sea of students flowing indoors for seventh period classes.

The late bell rang, finally snapping her out of her trance.

Shaking slightly, Kitty raced off to class.

****

End Chapter 3.


	5. Chapter 4: Heat

Disclaimer, etc. in prologue.

Chapter 4

Kitty was glad that she only had Computer Science and Honors English for her last two classes. She'd never paid much attention in either class, but today she was even less attentive. She was too busy thinking about Lance, too busy replaying those kisses in her head.

Kitty had never been kissed like that before in her entire life. Oh, she'd been kissed before. Just never with tongues and intensity and _heat_. 

God, the heat! She could feel her cheeks starting to burn at the memory as an increasingly familiar fluttering began low in her stomach.

At the time, she could have sworn she could feel herself burning up from the inside out. And she hadn't wanted it to end. He'd made her feel…Kitty couldn't think of how to describe it. She'd been giddy, excited, eager, and—Her thoughts came to a screeching halt, but she forced herself to finish her train of thought.

She'd been…turned on. She'd actually _wanted_ Lance, in a…_sexual_ way.

Kitty buried her head in her textbook so no one would notice how red her face had gotten. It was all she could do to keep the nervous giggles building up inside from getting out.

As she squirmed in her seat and only half-listened to the teacher drone on about the symbolism of _Dante's Inferno_, Kitty realized a few things. The first being that she had made an excellent choice in picking Lance to be her tutor in her turn to the 'dark side'.

The second thing she realized was that she had a pretty good idea of just what exactly Lance wanted in exchange for his lessons. (She knew she was naïve, but she was far from stupid.)

And last, and most surprising to Kitty, she realized that she didn't mind in the least. In fact, she was pretty sure—no, she was _certain_—she was looking forward to it.

****

End Chapter 4.


	6. Chapter 5: Look the Part

Disclaimer, etc. in prologue.

Chapter 5

Kitty had given up trying to concentrate on her homework about an hour ago. She was now sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling while Shania Twain, rejoicing about feeling like a woman, blared through her headphones.

She was, as she'd been doing for the majority of the afternoon, thinking about Lance. He really was cute. Or maybe _hot_ was more like it. Those dark eyes, that silky hair—her hand twitched at the remembered sensation of the soft strands slipping through her fingers—and she just _knew_ he had a killer bod under his black T-shirt and ripped jeans.

Kitty idly wondered how he would look without any clothes.

She let out a shuddering sigh as her mind went from idle wondering to avid fantasizing.

The sigh turned into a shriek as her roommate unceremoniously flopped down beside her on the bed.

Kitty scrambled to sit up as she ripped her headphones off. "God, Rogue! You almost gave me, like, a heart attack!"

The girl that everyone at the mansion—including Professor Xavier—only knew as Rogue, turned on her side and propped her head on one gloved hand. "It's your own fault," she said, a trace of the South coloring her words. "I called you, like, five times."

"Sorry. I was…busy. Thinking." Kitty turned away with the pretense that she was shutting off her discman. She hoped Rogue hadn't seen the blush rising to her cheeks. She, of course, wasn't that lucky.

"Uh-huh. Busy thinkin'." Kitty could practically hear the smirk in the other girl's voice. "So, who were you _busy_ _thinkin'_ about? Or should I ask, who were you _thinkin'_ about gettin' _busy_ with?"

"Nobody! I wasn't thinking about anybody!" Kitty was certain her face was bright red at this point.

The touch-me-not mutant snorted. "Yeah. Sure. With a sigh like that? Tell me another one."

"A sigh like what?" Kitty was almost afraid to ask.

"Like this." Rogue lay on her back, closed her eyes, and did a surprisingly accurate imitation of Kitty. Her brief performance done, she flicked a mischievous glance at the other girl. "_That_ is the sigh of someone who remembers the taste of their absolute favorite dessert and can't wait to have some more."

"I _so_ did not sigh like _that_!"

Rogue smirked. "Yeah, ya did." Her smirk widened into a grin. "You were thinkin' dirty thoughts about someone!"

"No way!" _Please, God, let me die now!_

Rogue sat up quickly, realization dawning on her face. "It was that boy at lunch, wasn't it?"

Kitty blinked as her brain stalled. _Oh, no. Nonononono_…"Boy?"

The other girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, _boy_! Y'know, the one who was kissin' you like he wanted to eat you alive."

"_You saw that?!_" Kitty shrieked.

Rogue winced. "Damn, girl! Bring it down a decibel or five! Yeah, I saw. And so did everyone else with eyes. He practically had you across the table!"

This just keeps getting better and better. "Jean didn't see, did she?" _Because, boy, would that make my day, like, _so_ much better!_

"Nah. She was inside eatin' with Duncan." Kitty heard the distaste in Rogue's voice and felt a little better. Their mutual dislike of the redheaded telepath had been one of the few things the roommates had in common.

"Well, at least I won't have to hear anything from her," she muttered with more than a twinge of relief.

"So who is he?" Rogue asked, bringing them back to the original subject. "He was total eye-candy."

Uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed, Kitty took her time in answering. Then, releasing a pent up breath, she decided to tell the Southern girl about her history with Lance. Despite their differences, she actually liked Rogue and knew she wouldn't go blabbering to Jean about anything she told her.

After explaining the circumstances between herself and Lance,—with the omission of their deal, of course— Kitty finished by saying a bit too casually, "But he's not, like, my boyfriend or anything."

"But you wish he was, don't you?"

"I—uh, I mean—that is—"

"Which is weird," Rogue continued as if Kitty hadn't said anything. "Because he doesn't exactly look like he would be your definition of Mr. Right. And, no offense, but you don't exactly look the part of a ripped-jeans-wearin', trouble-makin' bad boy's honey, either."

Frowning, Kitty thought over the girl's words. Suddenly, her face cleared and she turned to Rogue, her expression eager. "How _would_ I look the part?"

****

End Chapter 5.


	7. Chapter 6: Change

Disclaimer, etc. in Prologue.

Note: Apparently there's been some confusion about a few things. First let me start by saying this is an Alternate Universe fic. By the very definition of AU fics, things are different. Now, as to the confusing bits. In this fic, Lance gets drafted for the BoM _three weeks after_ Kitty was sent to Xavier's (see **Chapters 1 **& **2**) instead of the same day as in the original "X-Impulse" episode. Therefore, in this fic, I'm taking the liberty in assuming that Rogue left the BoM for the X-Men _before_ Lance got into his trouble back in Northbrook. Hence the two have _never met_. Hope that clears things up for folks. If there are anymore questions, feel free to ask. I'm here to please. ;) Just ask my pal Frenchie, who managed to badger me into including some rather…_interesting_ elements in this story.

Chapter 6

"Kitty! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, Scott!" Kitty took one last look in the mirror and blew out a tense breath. It still looked like her, but not quite. The most obvious change was the fact that instead of her hair being up in its usual ponytail, it fell loose down past her shoulders. 

When she'd asked Rogue how she would go about "looking the part" of a bad boy's girlfriend the first thing the older girl had said was, "Well, first you have _got_ to let your hair down. In more ways than one."

And Kitty had to admit it made a world of difference. She looked…better with her hair down. No, not better. Less restrained. Less goody-two-shoes. She decided she liked it. She'd never paid much attention to her hair before, but now she realized she had nice hair. It was thick without being prone to frizziness, and it was naturally shiny and soft. She should wear it down more often.

Now as for the rest of her…transformation…Well, that had taken a bit more effort and a whole lot of badgering from Rogue. Most of the badgering had centered around the barely-there skirt Kitty now wore.

It was made out of some black faux suede material, fit like a second skin, and was almost _obscenely_ short. She had bought it on impulse last year, but she'd never had the nerve to actually wear it once she got it home. Kitty was sure that her parents would never have let her leave the house wearing the flimsy excuse for a skirt that she was even now trying to pull down to mid-thigh. It was that thought and Rogue's wheedling (which was summed up with "You've got killer legs, girl. Flaunt 'em!"), that had Kitty shimmying into the skirt the following morning.

A wine-red camisole that stopped an inch above her navel, and a black lace off-the-shoulder shirt over that, topped off Kitty's ensemble.

She had just slicked on some cherry lipgloss and was zipping up her knee-high leather boots, when Scott called again. "Kitty, _come on_! We're going to be late!"

"Coming!" Grabbing her bookbag, Kitty ran out of the room.

Scott was waiting for her in the front hall as she hurried down the stairs. He was checking his watch for what Kitty guessed was probably the tenth time in the last five minutes. "Jean and Rogue are already in the car. What took you so…long…?" His voice trailed off as he looked up and caught sight of her. "Kitty?"

"Morning, Scott!" she greeted as she breezed past him. She couldn't quite stifle a grin. _Wow! I managed to surprise Scott Summers, Fearless Leader! Looks like this outfit might be a success after all._

She was almost out the door before he managed to come to his senses and hurry after her.

Kitty knew the exact instant when Jean caught sight of her. The redhead did an almost comical double-take, and those disgustingly bright green eyes of hers widened in surprise.

"Hey, Kitty!" Rogue called from the backseat of the convertible. "Lookin' good, girl!"

"Thanks!" Kitty beamed as she climbed in to sit beside her roommate. "I really couldn't have done it without you, though."

"Well, shucks, 'tweren't nothin'!" The Southern mutant thickened her drawl and Kitty couldn't help but giggle.

Her amusement was cut short when Jean said, "Wow, Kitty. You look…different today."

Kitty almost rolled her eyes. _God, Jean, could you sound any _more _disapproving?_ "I decided I needed a change."

There was brief silence as Jean climbed into the passenger seat. Kitty was beginning to think that Jean was actually finished with her unwanted commentary until she said, "But don't you think that outfit is a little, uh, revealing?"

Crossing her arms, Kitty tossed back her hair in a haughty manner she'd seen Jean use more than once. "Yeah, so?"

Jean turned in her seat to look at Kitty, her face the very picture of the Concerned Mentor. Inwardly, Kitty cringed. _Here comes the lecture!_

"Kitty, I don't think your outfit is appropriate for school," the redhead began. "Don't get me wrong, you look great! I just think maybe should go inside and change into something a little more—"

"Oh, get off it, Red! Let the girl wear what she wants, and stop actin' like Miss High n' Mighty!" Rogue interrupted, and Kitty couldn't help but feel relieved. Listening to Jean-lectures was _not_ one of her favorite pastimes.

"I am not being 'high and mighty'! I'm just concerned! If it weren't for _your_ influence, Rogue, Kitty wouldn't be dressed like…_that_! She needs to go inside and change."

Kitty bristled. "What do you, like, mean 'dressed like that'?"

She was ignored as Rogue got up in the telepath's face. "Sorry to disappoint you, _Jean_"—she sneered the name—"but Kitty didn't dress like that for _me_. She—" The deadly-skinned mutant caught the warning look Kitty shot her. Hmm. So Kitty didn't want Jean to know that Lance was in Bayville. Interesting. Rogue sat back in her seat and smirked. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter if you want her to change. There's not enough time." The smirk turned into a genuine smile as Scott, who'd been locking the front door of the mansion, approached the car. "Isn't that right, Scott?"

Looking up from his watch, Scott spared Rogue a distracted glance. "Isn't what right?"

Before Rogue could answer, Jean took the initiative. "Scott, don't you think Kitty should go inside and change into something more appropriate?" Her tone implied that she fully expected him to agree with her.

Irritated surprise was written all over her face when Scott gave Kitty a once-over and said, "She looks fine, and we really don't have the time."

Crossing her arms, Jean tossed back her hair and muttered, "If you say so."

As Scott slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine, Rogue and Kitty shared triumphant grins.

Good Guys: 1. Jean: 0.

****

End Chapter 6.


	8. Chapter 7: Plans

Disclaimer, etc. in Prologue.

Note: Not a lot this time. But, hey…*shrug* At least it's something!

Chapter 7

"…So I was all like 'No way, man! The Undertaker's totally whack, yo!" And he was all…"

Crossing his arms, Lance leaned back against the wall and tried to tune out Todd "Toad" Tolensky's incessant rambling. The younger boy had been going on about professional wrestling for the last ten minutes and it was getting to the point where if he didn't shut up, Lance was seriously contemplating strangling the kid with his own freakishly long tongue.

Speaking of freaks, I wonder where the speed freak and the freak of nature are? Glancing around, Lance spotted his other two housemates. Fred Dukes, AKA Blob, was hanging around the bike racks terrifying the freshman out of their lunch money while Pietro Maximoff, AKA Quicksilver, was lounging by one of the large oaks on Bayville High's front lawn. Or at least, Lance assumed that was Pietro. The boy was so surrounded by girls that only the top of his silver head was visible.

Lance just shook his head. It amazed him that Pietro was so popular with the female population at Bayville, because if the guy screwed even half as fast as he did everything else…Lance gave a mental shrug. _Hell, maybe the guy's just got a big dick...and man, you know I'm bored when I'm thinking about some other guy's size. Christ, when's the bell gonna ring?_

For the first time he could remember, Lance was actually almost eager for school to start. The sooner classes started, the sooner he could see Kitty sixth period. And the sooner he could continue her "lessons". Granted, he probably could have just shown up at the school around lunchtime and seen her then, but he figured he might as well make an appearance in his classes at least once this semester. You know, just so his teachers knew what he looked like and vice-versa.

His shoulders shifted against the wall as he uncrossed and recrossed his arms. It was all he could do not to tap his foot in impatience. Ever since yesterday, ever since that kiss, Lance had been restless, edgy. And he placed the blame squarely on Kitty Pryde. He'd never been this wound up over a simple, stupid kiss before. He'd never wanted to get his hands on a girl as much as he wanted Kitty. Well, it was because she was just so sweet and innocent—God, was she innocent!—he couldn't help but want to rough her up a bit. Of course, that was the only logical explanation. It wasn't like he had a _thing_ for her, or anything.

Shaking off the wayward thought, Lance smiled to himself as he remembered the spot he'd found yesterday after lunch. There was a stairwell over in the east wing that was perfect for a bit of "hands on" tutorial. The alcove under the stairs was deep and dark enough that no one who happened to be passing would notice if a couple of students decided to pass over English and Calculus in favor of hot kisses and heavy petting.

He was so wrapped up in his plans for Kitty, that it took Lance a moment to realize that Todd had stopped speaking. Curious, he glanced at the younger boy. Slack-jawed, he seemed to be staring off into the distance. Following the boy's gaze, Lance turned. "What are you…?"

The words died on his lips as he caught sight of what—or rather,_ who_—had stunned Todd into silence. "Well, hell," Lance managed to murmur before all the blood in his body headed south and his brain ceased to function altogether.

Things almost seemed to move in slow motion as he watched Kitty walk towards him, and he was extremely grateful. It just gave him more time to devour her with his eyes. And damn if she didn't look good enough to eat. 

With her hair down like that, it had taken Lance a second to recognize Kitty. Instead of being up in that innocent-school-girl ponytail, it fell like a thick curtain of mahogany satin down around her shoulders. It rippled with every movement of her head as she talked excitedly to the girl walking beside her, and Lance was dying to plunge his fingers into the silky mass. The hair did something for her, made her seem…wilder. 

And then there was the outfit. 

She was wearing some sort of black lace top that left her shoulders bare, with a reddish thing beneath that. Her hips, emphasized by a bit of black fabric some generous soul had deemed a skirt, seemed to have an extra little sway thanks to the clunky, black leather 'fuck me' boots she was wearing. Between the two, Kitty's slim legs seemed to go on for _miles_. And the stretch of creamy thighs the boots and skirt left exposed had Lance imaging how those legs would look wrapped around his hips as he rode her nice and slow. Or maybe be she'd prefer it hard and fast.

Lance could hardly wait to find out. 

If things went as planned, he wouldn't have to wait long at all. Two weeks at the most and he'd have Kitty Pryde exactly where he wanted her: flat on her back, legs spread.

****

End Chapter 7.


End file.
